How to Train Your Dog to Eat by Himself
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Introduction
There is nothing worse than a dog who refuses to eat on his own. When you have a "fussy" pup, it can feel as though you have little to no control over when he eats, how much he eats, or for that matter when he eats. When your pup is little, hand feeding him might be okay, but you need to get past this point as quickly as possible to ensure you have more control over his eating habits as well as his potty habits.
There is a controversy over which is better: "free feeding", in which there is always food in your dog's bowl that allows him to eat whenever he feels like it or "meal feeding", where you establish specific meal times when your dog is expected to eat. There are good and bad points for both types of feeding styles. and most vets recommend you put your dog on a feeding schedule. Not only does this help to establish you in the dominant role, but it also makes it much easier for you to observe his eating habits and how much he is or isn't eating.
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Defining Tasks
As a human being, you are used to eating on a relatively set schedule of three meals a day. While your dog may not need three meals a day, it is important for him to know when he is supposed to be eating and to do so at that time. Here in the U.S., we face a growing epidemic of human obesity and at the same time, there is a growing problem with canine obesity. By taking full control of when your dog eats and how much he eats, you can help prevent this from happening to your furry friend.
Another beautiful thing about teaching your dog to eat by himself at set times is that this can help to regulate his bowel movements. The big thing to remember is that you are teaching your dog to recognize when it is meal time and that he doesn’t have time to waste once you put the bowl down in front of him. Bear in mind that if you allow your dog to "free eat" or "graze" it could take several days before you realize he is not eating properly.
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Getting Started
You won't need a ton of supplies to get started training your dog to eat by himself. The most important thing to remember is that it can take a little while for your pup to make the switch from being hand fed to eating out of his bowl when it is meal time. You will need:
- A food bowl: Every dog needs his own food bowl.
- Food: Stock up on the food you plan to feed him.
- Treats: You will need some way to reward your dog for getting things right.
- Patience: it takes time to train your dog to learn to eat on his own when it is dinner time.
- The right place: To make this training more successful, you need to have a specific spot to put his food dish every time. Placing it in different places will only lead to confusion and problems with getting him to eat.
- Praise: You can never give your pup too much praise when he gets new training right.
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The Sit First Method
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Dish it up
Pour your dog's food into his bowl and raise it over his head.
Sit
Command your dog to sit.
Serve
Place bowl in front of him on the floor. If he begins to eat, praise him.
Repeat
Repeat this process until each time you put his food in front of him he eats.
The Count to Five Method
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Invitation
Start by asking your dog, "Are you hungry?"
First course
Place half the amount of food you want your dog to eat daily in his bowl.
Serve it up
Hold the bowl in front of his nose and then place it in the special spot reserved for his bowl.
Countdown
Count to five, if he starts eating let him finish and give him plenty of praise.
Wait for later
If not, pick up the bowl and wait for 12 hours before trying again.
Try again
Repeat the process in another 12 hours until he eats on his own each time you place his bowl on the floor. Be sure to give him tons of praise each time he eats until the process becomes a routine.
The Eat on Command Method
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Dish it up
Fill your pup's bowl with food.
Dinner bell
Give your dog the ‘come’ command, assuming he didn't come running at the sound of food being poured into his bowl.
Table manners
Have your dog sit and slowly lower the food dish to the ground in front of him. If he tries to get to the bowl before it hits the ground, raise it back up and make him sit again.
Repeat
Repeat until your dog sits and waits patiently until you place the bowl on the ground. Then give him the command ‘eat’ or ‘Okay’. His reward will be his dinner along with plenty of praise.
Be consistent
Follow this exact same process each time you feed your dog and he will soon come to understand when it is dinner time and that this is the only time he will be allowed to eat. At this point, you should be able to put the bowl down and walk away while he eats by himself.
Written by Amy Caldwell
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 11/19/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
More articles by Amy Caldwell
Training Questions and Answers
Quill
beagle cross
1.5 years
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
We have just adopted to quill as a stray and she will not eat alone she prefers to either eat out of my hand or I have to hold the bowl for her. What can you suggest? Also we are trying to train her to sit on a bed inside how would you advise we do this? Thank you
April 15, 2023
Quill's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Congratulations on your new dog. For the bed sitting, check out the Place video I have linked below. Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s I suggest mixing her food with something she likes the night before feeding her. Start with a higher quantity of food she likes and a bit of dog food, then gradually increase the dog food and decrease the food she likes overtime. Test out freeze dried meat dog food toppers, like stella and chewy or nature's variety first. If she likes those, crush them into a powder in a ziplock bag, then place that and some of her dog food in the bag overnight to flavor and scent the food. Feed that regularly if she will eat it, then gradually decrease how much powder you use and increase the dog food slowly in place of it - go slow so that eating the new food has become habit and he doesn't think about it changing gradually so keeps eating it. If she likes the kibble topper, you can also feed something like Ziwi peak or nature's variety raw boost long term - which is composed of freeze dried food or has it mixed in, if that's in your budget. If pup doesn't like the freeze dried stuff, then do the same thing but use things like minced chicken, liver paste, or goats milk mixed with the dog food and refrigerated overnight (you may want to do the goats milk last minute because it will get soggy though). Another option, is to have pup work for all of their kibble. Have pup perform commands and tricks and use the dog food that has been mixed with freeze dried powder from a ziplock bag, as rewards for pup obeying commands. Many dogs are actually more enthusiastic about their food if they have to earn it and consider it a treat. Feed pup entire meal amounts this way so that he is hungry during training in place of the bowl for a while. When you do so, act like the food is treats - you should act like you have a great prize not like you have to temp pup to eat. It may seem opposite but what a dog can't have without working for it, often makes it even more appealing. Once pup is doing well with that I like to use things like Kong wobbles, to put the food into for pup to work for. When pup is working for the food in the wobble well instead of having to take it from you, you can transition back to the bowl by unscrewing the top of the wobble, which leaves the bottom that's shaped like a bowl, and pup now associates with fun and enjoyment. I would also ask your vet how long pup is okay to go without eating. Sometimes you will need to offer the food three times a day, taking the food up after an hour each time if pup doesn't touch it. Often, pup won't eat the first couple of meals, but will then get hungry enough to eat the next ones if they see that you aren't going to handfeed or give table scraps instead. If you are using a bowl that is reflective, makes the food move, or pup's dog collar is clinking on the bowl, I would switch out your bowl and put a plastic dog collar tag cover over pup's tag to keep it quiet. Some pups are scared of bowls that reflect, move or make noise. Also, have your vet check her if you haven't already done so, to make sure there isn't a parasite, infection, gi issues, food allergy, or something else causing discomfort with eating that could be to blame, especially since she is new to you. Finally, the hesitancy might be related to nervousness settling into a new home. If that's the case, be patient and try the above suggestions but also know that she may simply need a couple of weeks to feel safe enough to eat normally. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
April 17, 2023
Rio
ShihTzu
2.5 years
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
Rio used to eat on his own..once he was sick& i started to feed him.he got habituated for this .now stopped eating on his own.how to make him eat on his own again
Jan. 19, 2023
Rio's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, To get him to eat dog food again, I suggest mixing his food with something he likes the night before feeding him. Start with a higher quantity of food he likes and a bit of dog food, then gradually increase the dog food and decrease the food he likes overtime. Test out freeze dried meat dog food toppers, like stella and chewy or nature's variety first. If he likes those, crush them into a powder in a ziplock bag, then place that and some of his dog food in the bag overnight to flavor and scent the food. Feed that regularly if he will eat it, then gradually decrease how much powder you use and increase the dog food slowly in place of it - go slow so that eating the new food has become habit and he doesn't think about it changing gradually so keeps eating it. If he likes the kibble topper, you can also feed something like Ziwi peak or nature's variety raw boost long term - which is composed of freeze dried food or has it mixed in, if that's in your budget. If pup doesn't like the freeze dried stuff, then do the same thing but use things like minced chicken, liver paste, or goats milk mixed with the dog food and refrigerated overnight (you may want to do the goats milk last minute because it will get soggy though). Finally, it would be worth consulting your vet about this if you haven't done so lately. Because of the illness, pup's picky eating might be partially due to issues remaining from that, and perhaps your vet could help with that as well. I am not a vet though. Best of luck training, Caitlin Critenden
Jan. 23, 2023